It points to quite a few things.
1. It means that the IRGC is not able to move forces quickly. This could be due to command and control issues
2. Lack of MANPADs. This needs to be addressed ASAP
3. The US might also take notice of this and makes me wonder how the IRGC plans to stop them if they quickly move 2-3k troops inside Iran.
4. There is indeed limited air superiority. Yes a few aircraft did get shot. But slow moving UH-60s and A-10s survived and went back. The fact that the pilot was rescued looks bad on the IRGC
For 1), I'd say that's probably more or less as expected, as they already said (and this generally seems to be observable too) that the entire defensive apparatus is heavily decentralized. So it's whoever is in charge (could be multiple districts, idk how the IRGC is differentiated at that level) makes their own operations as they see fit.
2) it's difficult to say if they just lack MANPADs or it's just a symptom of 1. Unless you're saying they should be handing out MANPADs to just random civilians/tribal militias/police forces, which could be a solution.
I don't think the IRGC really plans to stop any entry for 3, and kinda leads into 4. Might as well spell out what I think is the general modus operandi now, but I think they'd be focused more on identifying and suppressing any potential large scale landing in the event that occurs. If a big op occurs (imo when, but w/e) then they get to bring out other local assets, like mortars, MLRS, FPV drones, etc. You can get onto Iranian land but staying is a different beast. They'll make a sustained operation as painful as possible, I think, but they're not overly committed at all to preventing a landing or incursion.
But the scale of that kind of operation would be orders of magnitude larger than some CSAR operations, which means that the chances that you run into where a dedicated MANPADs or other SHORAD team also happens to be operating go up drastically.
Either way, 2 A-10s seem to have been destroyed over the course of this operation so far (neither made it back as far as I'm aware, one crashed in the Gulf and the other was hit and crashed in Iraq, I think). Helicopters generally would probably be flying very low when actually searching, so that makes the chances of an interception go even lower in hilly/mountainous terrain.
but dozens of aircraft of have been destroyed or heavily or “lightly” damaged I will take a support plane taken out of commission versus a fighter jet or bomber(b 53 wouldn’t mind seeing one destroyed on the ground)
